


The Exclusive Edition

by orphan_account



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Happy Birthday Light, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 09:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9715451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Conspiracies, odd romantics, a troubled detective and the perfect recipe for leeches’ cake. What could possibly go wrong?





	

**Author's Note:**

> note that the sections beginning with italics are glimpses from the past. Enjoy!

_“Number one : The endowment of flowers has maintained its quaint beauty over the centuries. The simplistic charms of presenting it, in a bouquet or simply wrapped in red ribbon, will surely reward you with a smile from your-“_

Roger’s voice falters as he is thumbing through the pages of the bright magazine and he looks up, surprised and blinking, from his crooked glasses and down to the crisp white pages yet again. He looks over towards Mr. Wammy who is handling the revelation with the same reverence as Roger , except with more dignity in his firm set shoulders. The only person unaffected by the awkwardness of the whole scenario is their very own world famous detective, L, who is sitting in the chair in front of Roger’s desk, feet tucked and eyes wide, latched on diligently to each word. Roger clears his throat, Mr. Wammy smoothes his lapel and L stares at Roger with an urgency which frightens Roger, to say, in the least.

“I think the author is very correct.” L breaks the heavy stillness of the air. “However, I do believe it is better that someone with experience advise me personally. You both were or are, in each case, married and I assume, know of such frivolous, yet as I discover, vital rituals.”

Huge dark eyes flick between the two of them.

“So?”

When Roger came to Wammy’s, L had been newly bought into protection, seven years of age and mind as sharp as a knife. He could never discover much of L, despite practically watching him grow, and for the first time it struck Roger how clearly clueless was L at this matter, it was hard to believe that L would not know something so tangible…and how he was taking it up at a healthy challenge. Roger did not know whether to feel amazed or utterly flabbergasted, in any case, he pitied the young man. He nodded slightly in confirmation. L turns to Mr. Wammy who simmers out a smooth, “Of course.” in tow.

Roger looks down at the pages and L urges him to read on, which he does. All of them unaware that a yellow-haired boy with a devil glint in his bright green eyes is crouched outside the large doors. Intently listening.  
.

Light’s fingers fly over the keyboard in a blur, plowing headlong through a sundry of swift thoughts. After a moment or two, he draws his hands back and regards the bright screen. Hovering his index finger over the button, he then presses a firm, ENTER. Yawning he shuts his laptop, his room descending to comfortable languor of chilled darkness, save for the light seeping into the room through the slightly ajar door.

Light sighs, rubbing his palm on the nape of his neck, leaning back into his chair. Closing his eyes, he stays like that for moments. Relieved of his workload, he is looking forward to resting. He could use a night exclusively for sleep… 

It is _freezing,_ all of a sudden. Cool wind whips around him, making him jerk upright in his chair. He pushes his hair out of his face and cracks a bleary eye at the figure marring the pale light beside his, now, open window and lets out a long-suffering breath. How did _he_ get there so fast, without even making a damn sound? Light must truly be losing his touch.

 _“What?”_ Light sounds surly, even to his own ears.

“Light-kun,” His voice is all lackadaisical, laced with amused cadence, and Light can make out his tilted smile. The wispy thick black hair standing up on his head and his hunched over outline. “By ‘what’, you could mean quite a few things, would you mind elaborating? As in-”

“L,” Light drawls jadedly, “What are you going here?”

Light’s eyes have adjusted to the dark and he sees that L is facing the window, a smudge of pastel yellow light marring his pallid face. There is a bright red bag of the American treats L snacks on very often, M&M’s, clutched in his left hands and with his right hand he is pulling the thin curtains of the window apart. The occasional ‘crunch’ sound following his actions as he tosses the colorful candy in his mouth.

L faces him then, a half-moon smile tugging up on his thin lips. “Ah, perhaps Light-kun is truly exhausted for he does not remember that we, as in effect, live together?”

“No. This is _my_ room.” Light says summarily, defense seeping into his syllables even through his weariness, he looks away as L observes him with his huge eyes. Despite himself, he finds himself regarding the way L’s skin, pliable and supple as a child’s, seem to give off a pale luminescence under the lights from outside the window. The bulbs flickering outside are like a cloak of gold vapor around him, like a halo. Light feels a sudden urge to smooth the ebony strands of hair away from the detective’s face and feel his sharp jaw bones…pockets. Bless. Light stands up, pushing his swivel chair behind him, swiftly and making a calm show of slipping his hands into the pockets of his trousers. Being the paranoid basket case L is, he notices immediately.

“Is something the matter Light-kun? Your bodily gesticulations betray of nervousness, even though I do believe I have done nothing which causes such behavior as of…” L tilts his head in a childish manner, still studying him with his eyes, his thumb tracing his lower lip slowly, as he enunciates the word “…yet.”

Usually, Light responds to L’s little games and banters with his own. Definitely not today. “L, what is it that you want?” An afterthought. “I have e-mailed you the task you had asked me for, it is complete, if that is what you have come for.”

“Ahh Light-kun none of that for now, however…” He smiles wider, trailing off, and it reminds Light of a canary-fed cat. Not bothering to continue, L pops more candy in his mouth, a yellow, green and another yellow. He reaches into the bag once more, and upon finding it empty, he crumbles it in his hand and tosses it over his shoulder. Light opens his mouth angrily to remind him none too kindly of how he can litter his trash wherever he wants except Light’s room, when L is turning away and, “If you may follow me…”

L walks up to the door, glancing at him over his shoulder, and slips out as quick as he came. The door is left open, wider than it had been before, leaving a column of white light in its place. Light stares at the spot L had exited.

Some days, L wouldn’t even look his way, just stuffing himself with sugar cubes and staring at his computers, unblinking. Other days, he’d have his tongue down Light’s throat, his hands fumbling in Light’s pants which would be followed up with a bout of intense sex, like they were dogs in heat. Often, Light thinks of how they should probably end this, whatever… _this_ is. Of course, the next time L is arching under his searing fingertips, all that goes to its happy place. They are a peculiar case together. Not that they had fit anywhere near normalcy individually, nonetheless. So when L had asked (more like stated, like an afterthought, with a mouth full of sugar cookies) Light to come with him to England, one evening before his flight from Tokyo, Light had said yes.

Light has been bought to live at an orphanage, only for a short time, L assured. Light knows that this is where L was raised and it is somehow related to Watari. He has never been given an explanation and he has never asked for it, but it always nags him at the corner of his mind that L is willing to bring him to a place so private and intimate to him. Light is not sure why he it bothers him so, even, why he chooses it to bother him so.

He has nothing back at Japan. He had grown to accept his family, love them with a fieriness which came with sheer duty. School was something to move him along the agonizing viscosity of life but he never needed school . Sometime along the way, Light remembers the resemblance of a constant ache in his bones and flashing white lights, his father’s face contorted in an incommunicable expression (the last time he sees his father since), Watari hovering by his bedside and then : the closing of KIRA files. Light knew there were a few answers he needed to acquire through pure patience and yet, he had said yes and he hadn’t looked back once.

But when L does leave a pulsing quiver of a brush of his lips at Light’s bare skin and whimpers in his dark, elusive nightmares, in the few late hours of the sleep he allows himself when he is with Light, in his bed, under his blankets when dawn breaks. It is the rare occasion they stay and Light truly does wonder if there was more to it. If there is more to how he reaches for the detective and wears him like his own skin until L catches his breath. How they both know in the mornings but let it be, let the weakness of each other be exposed so blatantly. Sometimes Light, does, truly wonder.  
.

_“Number two : Candlelight. It is an undeniable fact that a candlelight dinner or lunch sets the mood for the romance you need. It is in a class of its own, and the golden light of it with chic white tablecloths and two glass of vintage wine will melt anyone’s heart.”_

Roger stops. Who in the world had written it? This was preposterous! Absolutely ridiculous!

“Surely, L, this is not something that you should follow. What I mean to say is-“

“Ah, Roger I know what you mean. Dinner and lunch is too much of a hassle and Light surely does not eat what I prefer, I would steer clear of that. However, the writer is clearly well-sought out on romantic settings. Candlelight does sound good, if I may say so myself.”

Mr.Wammy clears his throat. “So it is final then…?”

L is smiling a strange, lopsided smile. All the while, Mello gags outside the door.  
.

Light sighs dejectedly, he does that a lot these days, and follows. Pushing the door completely open he steps out into a carpeted corridor, his eyes following L’s supposed trail. There is no trace of L and Light, in retrospection, climbs down the stairs knowing full well that he’d rather be in his warm bed and deep in sweet slumber and _could_ be if he turned around and did the rational thing, but is instead, climbing down a flight of carpeted stairs, wearing nothing but a plain black t-shirt and cotton trousers on a day as freezing as this. It rains in England only all the time, ah the glorious English weather and this afternoon’s drizzle did only to intensify the fitful chill.

Upon reaching the last steps, he sees that the doors to the backyard are open. The lights of this corridor are on, a few scanty bulbs here and there. This is where the kitchen and living room are, which are L’s permanent lodgings. This would mean, that L wants him to go out to the backyard, where they have spend evenings sitting in the plastic chairs and sipping tea, and L would be waiting. Light does not know why the hell he complies to L’s childish whims, but then again, he finds himself doing exactly that, crossing over to the door and stepping out into the night’s chill.

He was right. L is sitting in his peculiar fashion on the wooden steps, knees drawn and bended over, sucking intently on his thumb making little licking noises.

“Light-kun has come.” L says, his low bass voice ringing with something of an edge. Light tries to read into it. His behavior has been very inconspicuous today, as ever, but especially in the last few moments and now. L turns, his hair falling into his eyes, and signals him with his outstretched hand to sit next to him. Light quickly glances around his surroundings and sees that there are little glass bottles, with water sloshed at their bottoms, and are those…flowers? Gleaming petals peeking out from them in soft colors of red, purple, pink and yellows. Light recognizes them as what the younger children at Wammy’s paint sometimes and make elaborate designs at the base, making use of the discarded milk bottles. The light bathing the entrance in warm, shortened burst are citronella candles flickering among the vines climbing over the clean wooden rails.

Light does not sit, instead he steps back warily. His amber eyes narrow at the detective suspiciously. “L, what are you doing?”  
.

_“…do not forget the fourth tip! That was all. I hope it helps all you lovebirds out there! If you enjoyed or benefited from this article, do not forget to subscribe to the weekly addition of ‘Femme Fabulous’ and receive more advice and glamorous tips.”_

Roger trails off helplessly, flapping the bright magazine down on his desk. Roger will deny he had anything to do with this vile stuff. Who needs advise for cleaning bathtubs and preparing leeches cake? He has flipped through it twice or so when L and Mr.Wammy were talking about this particular problem. He had even found two of the recipes for facial scrubs largely interesting and beneficial…

“Mr. Roger?”

“Ah! Yes, L? You were saying?” Roger realizes that L had been talking to him.

“I think this is a huge problem. We must hurry immediately. And yes, please subscribe to this very useful magazine. It has an arsenal of the most interesting human facts.”  
“Right away, L.” Comes Mr. Wammy’s answer.

“Thank you, Mr. Wammy.” L stands up, chewing on his thumb, absentmindedly. “We must hurry…”

Meanwhile in another side of the orphanage, Mello had a very grim faced Near and a wide-eyed Matt as audience. This was simply unacceptable, Mello explained. We must do something! Mello yelled. Matt cleared his throat. Near paid attention to Mello’s hair. They looked really silky.

.

L keeps staring at him. “What of it? I am not going to bite. Please sit down, Light-kun, I promise that there is nothing wrong.” He pats the place next to him, awkwardly and looks at him hopefully.

Suddenly feeling like a fool, Light sits down next to him, folding his arms over his knees, still cautious nonetheless. They stay like that for a while, L sucking his thumb and Light looking ahead and trying to make sense of this. He racks his brain for any such occurrence, any such thing that might’ve spurred this strange behavior-

“…Or I might just bite.” L is regarding his arms, russet skin and muscled leanly, “You know how you enjoy it. You made a lot of noises when I bit you last evening-”

“L.” Warmth floods his face, yet his mouth quirks unconsciously in a grimace. Was that all L had asked him to come out for? Teasing which would lead to L pounding him into the creaking floorboards? He is too aware of his weary body, his stamina has never been the same as before, and he’s tired of L bossing him around only for him to waste his time like this. “I am honestly tired of you. I’ve had enough. Do you honestly have to torture me so much-“

L smile disappears then his lips curve downward abruptly. Light opens his mouth again to inquire if polar mood swings is one of L’s ever growing list of maladies when L holds up a pale, tapered finger. “Light, please, quiet.”

Light’s jaw snaps back into place from the sudden drop of the honorific, and L leans forward, fingers curling in Light’s brown hair, a flicker of emotion in his mirror-like, black eyes. Light is aware of L’s warm breath fanning his neck as L bumps the crown of his head into Light’s collar bone and his other free hand now comes to rest on the left of Light’s chest. Next to his heartbeat.

“L?” It comes out as a pitiable whisper rather than the rebuke intended, and Light drops the arms he had been raising instinctively to hold the detective closer. Instead Light relaxes his tensed body and stays limp, unmoving, not knowing what to make of L’s sudden behavior.

“You misunderstand.” L’s heavy voice is muffled, whispery and hot against Light’s skin. The fingers curled in his hair untangle to rest carefully against the side of Light’s neck, so very gentle, as if he were made of porcelain and L was touching him keeping his delicateness in mind. The low rumble of his voice dips up, if Light did not know better, he would think it hesitant but the words out of L’s mouth make him question if he does know any better.

“Have I ever told you of how I had fallen in love once?”

“No.” Light answers honestly, answering immediately. He is bone-tired as ever but is now strangely alert. L had never touched him like his. “Besides…I had assumed that you did not believe in trivial such things.”

L is speaking again, gentle against his collar-bone. “Hmm. Your assumption may be justified, I did not believe in it either before it had struck me clear as day. But you are wrong when you say it is ‘trivial’, infact...one ends up in doing significant things to themselves and their surroundings in the name of love.”

_Have you?_

“Perhaps not having felt it myself, I cannot discern its true weight.” Light threads cautiously, the words tumble out unthinking with his heartbeat drumming uncomfortably in his ribs. That is when L rises his head, his raven black hair tickling Light’s neck. The sluggish dark smudges under his eyes paired with the naked expression makes Light catch his breath.

“Yes, that must be it,” L’s fingers rise to rest against his jaw in a slow manner. “Bear in mind, however, that I do not ever wish to torture you, or hurt you. I am not used to such things. Friendship …” he trails off, and Light knows full well of what he implies. “I do not know how they work. Do you understand Light-kun?”

At a loss of words, Light is truly bewildered, he does not know how to understand this strange yet sincere confession. Or it is even one? Everything with L is unclear. And maybe, as Light leans forward, lips parted, he thinks that is what describes the strange feeling of sticky fondness yet gritty irritation at the detective that makes him feel this way.

“I understand…” Light replies, preparing to kiss L when-

L yanks back from him and all that shimmery feeling in Light’s stomach goes to hell. The irritation, he discovers, seems to increase in magnitude by the minute. Light makes a frustrated sound and glares at the detective.

“What…?” Light begins, slowly, in a haze. Part-drowsy, part-nerves tingling, part-agitated.

“I am sorry Light-kun, but can you check your watch for the time? It is imperative that you do.”

“Fine. Then I’m going back to my room.“ Light hastily checks the time on his watch, not even bothering to inquire L what he means by it. “ It’s 12:01 L, now-“

L pushes him back, aligning his mouth to Light’s and swallowing his words. Light blinks, surprised as his lips are being kissed, thinking of how he would surely strangle the detective the moment he breaks away. But for now…his eyes shut on their own accord.

They kiss. Slow and tantalizing, with Light’s tongue dipping slowly into L’s dewy mouth and he tastes like sharp tea, jasmine maybe, and Light files the taste away in a corner of his mind he never knew existed. L makes a small noise in the back of his throat and all of Light’s heavy-bone tiredness seems to dissipate with every touch L leaves. Fingers through his hair, curling at the nape of his neck, down his chest.

L rises suddenly, smiling, his voice sounding strangely lyrical and high. “Happy twentieth Birthday, Light-kun.”

Light’s eyes open wide in surprise. It is 28th as of midnight. Light could not believe he had missed it all. The flowers, the candles, everything L was doing was trying to…

“Thank you, L.” Light means it. Sincerely, wholeheartedly.

“I have baked a cupcake myself with the help of Watari, if you would like we could share-“

“L.”

L shuts his mouth, regards him quizzically.

“Shut up.”

Light kisses him again, and L effectively shuts up.

.

They are very much unaware of the small crowd of five children ranging from eight year olds to sixteen year olds watching them wide eyed from the open doors. Mello makes a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, looking away and regretting this whole plan while Near watched them, as impassive as ever, if it were not for the red tinge slightly dusting his pale cheeks. The boys and girls giggle.

Near glances Mello’s way. “Now what?”

Mello swallows, whispering hurriedly. “Nothing. We have to get out of here before things get too ah, out of hand. And it is as I planned, by tomorrow the whole orphanage will know of this-this-” The eccentric blonde does not complete his sentence and Near wonders if he is bothered by it, jealous even.

His pale yellow hair glint and his body shrinks into itself, long and black clothed and slick. Near stares at him until Mello scowls and he thinks…

Mello would like flowers, too.

.

“Light-kun.”

“Hmm…”

“Light-kun!”

Light cracks a bleary eye open, watching the detective slink away from him. L is naked, leaning over him, save for his boxers and it brings all the memories of last night tumbling over. Light, kissing L’s soft fingertips gently. L’s raven hair, so black they were hues of purple and blues instead, on the stark white pillow cases. His perpetual coldness of skin reduces to a healthy sweaty warm in the afterglow…they had somehow managed to stumble into L’s room, which was far more convenient as it was on the same floor, and Light had discovered that he was not completely averse to L fucking him into the mattress that smelled of him, like sugar and heavy musk of pinewood. He almost blushes at the thought of the loud lurid noises he’d made. Almost.

Slower sex had followed which was Light’s limit, after which he had collapsed face first into the pillows ignoring L’s concerns in his drone-like voice of how he might asphyxiate if he slept that way. Light looks over at the insomniac, all the while rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palm. L goes away, sitting on the edge of his small messy bed, which probably remains unused most of the time.

“Even though I wish that Light-kun enjoys his birthday, there appears to be a sudden predicament that needs to be addressed.”

Light makes no effort to sit up. “I see. What appears to be the problem?”

“I had found myself to be famished this morning, around 3:10 and went to the kitchen for a cupcake, incidentally the one I made for you, but that is not the problem, of course-”

“…Of course.”

“Yes. Anyhow, I saw the blue pin of the teddy bear belonging to little Gil stuffed at the far right of the counter. It became apparent that the children had been up to something, and most recently.”

Light recalls Gil, a green fedora hat perched on her shaved head and a ridiculously decorated teddy bear with ribbons and pins and glitter. The only reason Light remembers her is because she had 99.4 percent recall of anything she ever read or saw. That only spelled trouble.

“I’m listening.”

“Upon investigation, I found out that the children have come to know of our romantic rendezvous.”

Light cringes at how completely wrong ‘romantic rendezvous’ sounds , especially coming from L’s investigator, mechanical voice. Light then, promptly sits up.

“Please do not be irked, Light-kun. I should’ve taken more care-“

This time Light interrupts the fool with his lips. As sunlight streams through the large window, tumbling through the large curtains and L curves his body to him finally giving in, Light thinks of how this is certainly not a bad birthday. Not at all.

.  
**_“Celebrate the month of love with ‘Femme Fabulous’ exclusive edition. Happy Valentine’s Day!”_**

The magazine sat on Roger’s desk, the words large and cursive underneath the title. His office is empty and it is the morning of the 28th of February. The volume of the magazine is heavier than its usual releases, a February special edition, as it says loud and clear on the glossy covers. Sunlight glints off the smooth surface and the words seem entirely too apt for the happenings inside Wammy’s orphanage, at any case.

.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the longest DN fic I’ve ever written, so yay for me!
> 
> I tried to keep the angsty feels to minimum but they kinda slipped past my muse anyway…whoops.
> 
> I had it already underway and was planning to complete and publish it by Light’s birthday, but I happened to stumble upon a wonderful ‘50 sentence challenge prompts’ for Death Note by acerbicapplecoffee on tumblr. I read the Lawlight one and instantly fell in love and decided to incorporate it in this one-shot and post it on Valentine’s Day. I was inspired to add many awesome details because of that <3
> 
> There’s a one for Near/Mello too and a simple DN universe one , both of which I adore. One of the very reasons you see a lil of Near/Mello in it.
> 
> Please review/comment! I’m really looking forward to ravishing your feedback all day on VD, ‘cause lone and sad writers like me have no dates and have been pissed with their shitty friends from the past week to successfully nullify any possible plans…
> 
> Yes! Review/Comment and be my Valentine! –iamsosorryicouldn’thelpmycorniness-
> 
> Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope all of you have a fantastic day. XOXO.
> 
> EDIT : pls let this fic die


End file.
